Thursday, 30 April 2015

Restaurant owner first to claim trial for GST-related offence

SHAH ALAM: Less than a month after the implementation of the goods and services tax (GST), a restaurant is the first in the nation to claim trial under the GST Act 2014 at the Sessions Court here.

The owner, Raja Bunesh Bagam Kamarudeen, 38, was summoned and stood outside the witness dock to hear the five charges against her establishment, Restoran Hameeds Corner located in Seksyen 16, Petaling Jaya, on Thursday morning.

The charge was for issuing about 2,000 invoices not containing details as required by Section 22 of the GST Act from April 7 to 11.

DPP Raja Rozela Raja Toran asked for RM100,000 bail for all five charges.

However, Raja Bunesh's counsel Cullin Andrew said his client had already paid RM15,000 as a bond to the Customs Department.

"There is no need for a bail because this is a summons case. If my client is not present in court, an arrest warrant can be issued," said Andrew.

Judge Ahmad Azhari Abdul Hamid set bail at RM15,000 with one surety and fixed May 25 for next mention.

"See You Again" is a song by American rapper Wiz Khalifa featuring the vocals and piano playing of American singer Charlie Puthon the hook. The song is featured in the 2015 action film Furious 7 as a final tribute to Paul Walker, who died in a car crash in November 2013. The single was released on March 17, 2015 in the US, followed by an international release on April 3, and a UK release on April 12.[4]

The song holds the record for the most-streamed track in a single day on Spotify in the United States (streamed 4.2 million times on April 13, 2015), and also set the record for most streams in a single week in 26 countries during April 6 to April 12 (streamed 21.9 million times),[5][6] and also in the U.K. in a single week (streamed 3.72 million times from April 20 to April 26, 2015).[7] "See You Again" was a huge international success, reaching number one in seventeen countries, including Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States where it ended the fourteen-week reign of Mark Ronson's "Uptown Funk" over the Billboard Hot 100.

Umno gags Ahmad Maslan from commenting on GST, says report

Published: 29 April 2015 12:44 PM

Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan has been given the gag order by Umno after party leaders found him too vocal on issues about the goods and services tax. – The Malaysian Insider pic, April 29, 2015.Umno has warned Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan to stop making statements on the goods and services tax (GST), especially in Rompin and Permatang Pauh during the campaigning period for fear of a backlash, Astro Awani reported.

Quoting party sources, the news channel said the deputy minister was told not to highlight GST issues especially after he was criticised on social media for his earlier statements on the tax.

“Several Umno leaders have warned Ahmad for coming out a tad too vocal on issues pertaining to GST. This may lead to us clinching a reduced majority in Rompin which will result in the failure to win the Permatang Pauh by-election.

“His intentions are good but his statements are often being manipulated by the opposition until many issues had cropped up which would affect the party,” the source reportedly told Awani.

Another source said Ahmad had been given the gag order on the GST.

Ahmad has been widely criticised and lampooned on social media over his defence of the GST, especially after he advised students at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) that they should cook their own meals to save costs.

He was then reported as saying that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad did not understand the GST, and that is why the former prime minister suggested the government abolish the tax.

“I think the people around him did not give him the proper explanation about GST. The GST percentage is much lower than SST (sales and services tax). So how can he say it’s better for the government to cancel GST?” Ahmad was quoted as saying.

He also urged those close to Dr Mahathir to explain the GST clearly to him, “without being influenced by the negative comments by the opposition”. – April 29, 2015.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/umno-gags-ahmad-maslan-from-commenting-on-gst-says-report#sthash.gl1WAaTO.dpuf

Police busted a gang of robbers when they nabbed eight people involved in the armed robbery of a jewellery shop at Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman earlier this month.

The suspects, including a woman, were arrested in a series of raids conducted by the city police Serious Crime Division (D9) and federal police Special Task Force on Organised Crime (STAFOC) between 6.30 pm yesterday and 4.30am today.

City police Criminal Investigation Department chief Senior Assistant Commissioner Zainuddin Ahmad said police also recovered a portion of the gold jewellery robbed by the gang, which had been smelted, and 11 gold bars weighing 100g each.

He said police believed that the gold bars were from another case of armed robbery in Serdang, Selangor, which saw the robbers escaped with RM1.7 million worth of gold on Dec 3.

"With the arrests of these suspects, whom are of the age of between 22 and 30, police believe that we can close at least five cases in Selangor and the city. "This group, led by a man called 'Capang', had been targeting jewellery stores and suppliers. They were also responsible for multiple cases of roadside mugging as well as snatch thefts," he said.

He said the suspects were arrested in raids conducted in Jalan Imbi, Jalan Ampang and Bandar Tasik Permaisuri. Besides the gold, police also seized two superbikes, two Perodua MyVi and a Honda Jazz from the suspects.

Zainuddin said initial investigations revealed that the vehicles were bought using proceeds from the robberies. Police have also identified several other gang members.

Zainuddin said police are tracking their movements and expect to make more arrests soon. The suspects are being remanded for five days to facilitate investigation under Section 4 of the Firearms (Increased Penalty) Act 1960.

When the world’s largest passenger airliner took to the skies 10 years ago on April 27, the double-decker jet was hailed as the next generation in air travel.

The specs of the Airbus A380 were – and remain – impressive in scope: a maximum seating capacity of 853; two passenger decks equal to three single tennis courts; and a take-off thrust equal to the horsepower of 2,500 family cars.

Designed specifically to eclipse its main competitor and reigning king of the skies, the Boeing 747, the A380 was hailed as a game changer in the industry when it took off on its maiden flight across southwest France April 27, 2005.

While the 747 was known as the jumbo jet, the A380 would up the ante in superlatives and take up the nickname Superjumbo.

A decade later, more than a dozen airlines operate 156 of the so-called Superjumbos, shuttling about 3 million passengers a month to 45 destinations around the world.

Here are some other factoids about the A380, which remains the largest civil aircraft in the world, 10 years after making its maiden flight:

- An A380 takes off and lands every four minutes.- The A380’s maximum seating capacity is 853 versus 660 on the 747-400.- The maiden A380 flight took place in Toulouse, while the first commercial flight was operated by Singapore Airlines in October 2007.- Emirates has the largest fleet of Superjumbos with 59, followed by Singapore Airlines (19), Lufthansa (13) and Qantas (12).- Airbus claims its A380 is the quietest cabin in the sky, registering half the noise of the 747-400.- Passengers on the A380 get 15% more stowage space for cabin baggage compared to the 747-400.- Economy class cabins are configured to fit 11 passengers in a row and offer 18in seats compared to 10-abreast rows on the 747 with 17in seats.- More than half of the A380’s capacity is within the Asia-Pacific region. – AFP Relaxnews

Ultras Malaya calls for boycott of Spurs, Liverpool 'circus' matches

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's upcoming fixtures against English Premier League sides Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool are nothing more than "circus matches", according to a local supporters' group who have called on fans to boycott the games.

A Malaysian XI will play Spurs on May 27 and Liverpool on July 24, which has led to local top-flight matches being re-arranged to accommodate the English sides.

The Spurs match comes less than two weeks before Malaysia try to win gold at the Southeast Asian Games in June, which is followed swiftly by the start of the joint qualifying campaign for the 2018 World Cup and 2019 Asian Cup.

Alfadli Awaludin, a senior member of the Ultras Malaya supporters group, said the Premier League giants would be better off playing each other in Kuala Lumpur rather than disrupting local football.

"It is not that we hate Liverpool coming, Spurs, Arsenal or even Manchester, Barcelona or whoever coming. We don't hate them, it's just the concept is not right," he told Reuters on Wednesday.

"The timing. We should be focussed more on the more important games like the World Cup qualifiers. Why do we need to focus on something that does not give us benefit at all?

"Just imagine if three of our players are injured playing Spurs, what would happens in World Cup qualifying?"

The Selangor fan said he and many other supporters of the club had paid for flights to watch the side play against Sarawak, only for the fixture to be postponed to accommodate Liverpool's arrival.

"What happens to our tickets, do we buy a new one or pay extra to change the dates?" he said, adding the rescheduled away match had been moved to a midweek date making it harder to attend.

Fruitless matches

"Why do you put this circus match higher than your league game? It is ridiculous to me. It is not for us to follow their schedule. Is it just that they are from EPL and we have to bend down? That is an issue of pride. This is our league, we don't bend down to others," he said.

Malaysia have hosted several Premier League sides in recent years, with Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea winning back-to-back matches against a Malaysian XI in 2011, days before the country were eliminated from the World Cup by arch rivals Singapore.

With Malaysia currently 164th in the FIFA rankings, their lowest-ever position, Alfadli wants what is best for his national team.

He believes the years of matches involving a Malaysian XI bearing the national flag on their shirts against European opposition have proved fruitless.

The hashtag #SayNoToCircusGame was prominent on Twitter on Wednesday as Ultras Malaya ramped up their campaign, with Alfadli urging fans to boycott the Spurs and Liverpool fixtures.

"I don't think people will stay away. We are just sending out the message that we don't want this happening in 10 years time or 20 years time," he said. - Reuters